End of Year Community Awards: Most Disappointing Game of 2013

Only two categories remain in the Community Choice Awards and they are the big ones. Best Sports Game of the Year will go up later this week but attention turns now to the one award no series wants – Most Disappointing Game of the Year. The NCAA Football franchise “won” the category two straight years which set up a make-or-break release for it this year. It bounced back strong only to be cancelled due to legalities and feasibility.

The three titles nominated this year are unique in their standing. NBA 2K14 entered the new generation with the highest of expectations but design decisions have wrecked its perception and further damaged its brand. Madden NFL 25 on the previous generation failed to advance enough and in some ways regressed in gameplay and presentation. NBA Live 14 has been unable to capitalize on the window that has been opened by 2K14 as it failed to even reach even the lowest of consumer standards. Continue on for summaries of each, to vote in the poll, and leave any thoughts in the comments!

NBA 2K14
While the game shines arguably more than any other in terms of gameplay and presentation, NBA 2K14 on the Xbox One and PS4 has fallen apart in unprecedented fashion since its release. An always-online design coupled with frequent server problems leaving consumers often unable to play the game, a damaging system of Virtual Currency, progress-halting bugs in MyGM, crippling online lag, and “Online Leagues” that would have been best just left out completely have made for a disastrous stretch no one anticipated.

Madden NFL 25
It has since become clear that the majority of resources were funneled to the next-gen version of Madden NFL 25 leaving the 360 and PS3 as a let down. Presentation continued as a distinct weakness particularly within Franchise mode, the gameplay felt chaotic with the physics engine somehow sloppier in its second year than when it debuted, and the Precision Modifier was a big miss and a feature that likely won’t last long in the series.

NBA Live 14
Though EA Sports vows to improve the product in the coming weeks and months the (very few) people who took the risk in purchasing the NBA Live 14 will be more difficult to convince to return to the series than if it had been cancelled like the last two efforts. Despite extremely low expectations Live can be considered a disappointment due to its unacceptable visuals, troubled gameplay, unsettling online performance, vanilla modes, and the omission of tutorials and a practice gym.